On Thursday, October 11, 2018, the UCLA Anderson School of Management marked the 30th anniversary of National Coming Out Day with an event featuring a panel discussion by MBA students, who shared their experience of embracing their LGBTQ+ identities both on campus and beyond.

Out@Anderson hosted the event, which took the form of a Fireside Chat. The organization prides itself upon providing a forum for students, faculty, and staff to gather safely to address issues relevant to themselves and their allies.

Coming out stories served as the jumping off point of discussion among the panelists, and a wide range of topics followed. One student, Diana Perez (MBA ’20) spoke of her time on active duty in the Air Force. “Although there has been significant progress on LBTQ+ issues in recent history, [such as the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’] … there’s still work to be done in the fight for equality,” Perez says in a statement released prior to the event.

Another student, Andrew Waldman, (MBA ’20), spoke of the need for vigilance in fighting for equal rights despite the liberal environment of UCLA’s campus and the city of Los Angeles itself. Discussions of revealing one’s identity at work, engagement with allies, and the nuances of LGBTQ+ experiences rounded out the event.

USC Marshall School of Business Professor of Management and Organization Bob Zukis recently spoke on an episode of the school’s podcast about the need for technologists at the highest levels of business.

Noting such factors as the influence of social media upon the U.S. presidential election (and the administration itself), Zukis warned that the necessary regulations and controls of social technology have not yet caught up with the technologies to the degree that they can generate positive outcomes.

USC Marshall School of Business Professor of Management and Organization Bob Zukis / Photo via marshall.usc.edu

If companies are to engage in true digital transformation, Zukis says, C-Suite leaders must be experts in the field.

“Only 14 percent of boardroom directors have any technology training … and even if someone on the board asks the right questions, they have a very low probability of understanding the answers.”

Director Richard Drobnick of USC Marshall’s International Business Education and Research (IBEAR) MBA program conducted the interview with Professor Zukis, which is available here for download.